


Of Dragon's Blood and Lyrium

by Dimunda



Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-26
Updated: 2019-09-30
Packaged: 2019-12-18 02:47:08
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 11,730
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18240836
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dimunda/pseuds/Dimunda
Summary: In an AU where Dorian left home and joined Bull's Chargers, the group is led on an expedition by Professor Frederic to find an exceedingly rare and old high dragon. The dragon is possibly the only male high dragon in existence. Once there, Dorian and Dalish begin to feel off as the magic in the place is deep, ancient, and elven. Once they find the dragon, strange things begin to happen and Dorian worries they won't be able to make it out of there alive. What exactly did the elves have to do with this dragon and what will become of them once they find it?





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Update: I updated the chapter with a picture of the dragon I commissioned not long ago. Hopefully this will give you a better image of the dragon!

_Among dragonkin, only the females procure wings throughout maturity. It is unclear as to why the males of the species do not, though perhaps it is just the way dragons are in the animal kingdom. Like among certain animals, the males develop more vibrant colorings and the largest of horns, perhaps the females simply evolved a much different way than their male counterparts._

 

_Nevertheless, the female high dragon is the rarest of their kind. Although they are fascinating and wondrously beautiful creatures, make no mistake that they are as deadly as they appear to be._

 

  * _Excerpt taken from Professor Frederic's introductory class on Draconology at the University of Orlai_ s



 

—————

 

Dorian had no idea how he had gotten himself into this situation. No, wait. Of course he did. It all started when that blasted Bull agreed to this insane job. He knew he should have demanded that he stayed behind, but no. For some reason, it was crucial that he come along for this mission. 

 

That's why he, Dorian Halward Pavus, was staring down the maw of a ridiculously large and incredibly angry high dragon. 

 

———-

 

"I'm sorry, I must have misheard you. Your thick, Orlesian accent is very difficult to understand."

 

Iron Bull was next to Dorian's side, a blighted grin spread wide across his face. This meant it was highly unlikely that he misheard the Orelesian professor. 

 

"I apologize," the professor said, obviously not hearing the sarcasm in the Tevinter mage's voice. Or at the very least choosing to ignore it. 

 

The man was practically bouncing off his seat and if it weren't for those idiotic masks, he'd bet he'd see a smile to rival Bull's. 

 

"What I am asking is for the Bull's Chargers group to escort myself and a few carefully selected graduate students to the lair of an exceedingly rare high dragon to study. It is quite the extraordinary find that will no doubt be recorded in history!"

 

Iron Bull's face was still beaming as the Ben-Hassrath looked around at his Chargers expectantly. Some of their faces were none too thrilled, but they would certainly follow him anywhere. Blasted, loyal fools. 

 

"Notice how he said escort to the high dragon, not kill it, Chief," Cremisius' voice called out, breaking the silence that had blanketed over them. 

 

The smile on Bull's face didn't waver as he shrugged his large shoulders, leaning back in his chair. 

 

"We'll see about that, Krem de la Krem. A high dragon is none too friendly when strangers come into her nest."

 

Dorian groaned louder as he massaged his temples, focusing a bit of fire magic to soothe his upcoming headache. He needed a hot bath and some tea soon before he had a complete and total breakdown. 

 

"What, pray tell, makes this high dragon so wonderful that we must risk our lives, hmm? Does it shit gold and bleed diamonds?" Dorian asked, obviously quite frustrated. He didn't come this far to simply die at the hands of a dragon. 

 

"Do all your Chargers have this level of disrespect?" asked one of the professor's graduates incredulously. Dorian thinks her name is Jeannette or Etienne. He didn't bother to remember. All the mage remembered was thinking it was strange for an elven woman. 

 

"I am  _not_ a Bull's Charger," Dorian said defiantly. The nerve of this girl! 

 

"Oh, Dorian's all bark and no bite," Bull said, sitting up straight in his chair. "Technically he's our magical expert. Which I'm guessing is something that could help this journey along, right?"

 

The woman backed down to return to her colleagues, trying to keep a professional appearance. Dorian could still feel her eyes glaring daggers at him. If he were a lesser man, he'd care. 

 

"Now, I  _am_  curious as to what makes this high dragon so special and extraordinary, Professor Frederic. I would like to know what I'm getting my men into."

 

"Oh but of course!" the professor exclaimed as he began digging around in his satchel. "I have a few exemplary and magnificent journals from a few lucky scholars from the last several hundred years that lists only bits and pieces of information on our dragon. They were very hard to find and quite expensive so do be careful with them, if you would."

 

The professor soon placed a small collection of journals onto the table before them. Each book was carefully taken care of, but Dorian could just  _smell_ how old they were. It wasn't a bad smell, oh no. In fact, the mage loved the smell of old books. They smelt of knowledge and history 

 

"Please, do look through them," Professor Frederic said, leaning back in his chair as he folded his hands together in his lap. 

 

"But please be careful!" Jeannette cried out, watching as the company's dwarven explosive expert simply yanked a journal out of the pile. Even Dorian had to admit he winced at how his companion handled such obviously delicate treasures. 

 

As Iron Bull had carefully taken a journal from the top, Dorian gently grabbed the book underneath it. He ran his fingers over the cover, which was very well preserved and taken care of. It was clear the professor and his students treasured these books immensely. 

 

As gently and carefully as he possibly could, Dorian turned to the front page. To Dorian's surprise, it seemed as though the book was merely a sketchbook for an artist. 

 

There were drawings of forest animals, drawn so carefully and full of such detail that it took the mage's breath away. Anything that was written seemed to be in a different language. There were carefully placed notes that told him the owner of the book was an elf, most likely Dalish. Alongside each strange word were bits and pieces of translations. They must have found someone to translate it for them. 

 

Dorian carefully flipped through the pages, trying to find the relevant information he needed on the dragon. About halfway through the book, he finally found it. 

 

The artist had used two pages consecutively to capture the beast's essence. It was incredibly large, with a figure standing beside the dragon for comparison. The dragon's scales were colored with exquisite detail that must have taken the fellow ages to capture. The dragon was a perfect mixture of dark blue and a deep green. They reminded him of the gems his mother used to wear to parties. 

 

Dorian noticed the beast lacked horns and notes at the top read 'Resembles the Hivernal and Kaltenzahn. Possible close cousins?' written in the professor's elegant handwriting. 

 

At the top of the book were closer details of the dragon's eyes. Dorian looked closely at the dragon's eyes and noticed they were a deep sapphire blue with a ring of gold surrounding her pupil. As Dorian stared at it, he felt his breath being taken away. The longer he stared into her eyes, the more he felt he was drawn into them. He felt as though at any moment, the drawing would blink. 

 

 

It then dawned on Dorian that the owner of this sketchbook would have had to study the dragon up close to capture such details. He drew his gaze from her eyes reluctantly and turned the pages. 

 

There were several drawings of the dragon covering the rest of the book. The dragon was in different positions ranging from sleeping to eating a druffalo. Now  _that_ was something he could do without seeing. 

 

"Professor," Dorian spoke, the Orlesian turning to face him directly. "It occurs to me that the elf that drew these pictures seemed to have gotten exceedingly close to this high dragon in order to have captured her essence."

 

"Oh yes!" one of the professor's students answered. He was either Marcus or Belmont. Dorian really should at least learn their names. "I'll tell him, Professor. Among all the books and journals that we have found on this high dragon, it seems that all our resources were able to get up close to him. In one journal from another Dalish elf, the writer claims that the dragon spoke to him and that the dragon defines who is worthy enough to approach him. Apparently, this dragon is not aggressive and seems to enjoy interacting with people."

 

"Then how has no one else proved its existence?" Krem asked, raising a brow. 

 

"According to the elf's journal, this dragon is able to hide himself away and only  _chooses_ to be seen by others. Therefore, so many people have failed to find it! The dragon either doesn't deem them worthy enough or does not wish to be seen!"

 

The students were practically beaming as they spoke, the four of them talking to themselves quietly. They seemed hopeful that they had finally found someone to escort them. 

 

"Hey, Professor," Iron Bull finally said, peering up from his book. When all eyes fell upon him, he continued. "I notice that all of you seem to be using male pronouns instead of female ones for this dragon. You lot are far too intelligent to be making that mistake repeatedly. I assume it's on purpose."

 

Professor Frederic seemed to sit up straighter and Dorian could just  _see_ the wide smile that was hidden behind his mask. 

 

"Oh yes, serah. You see, these traits are already enough for us to seek out this dragon to study it. However, the main reason why we're seeking out this dragon is because we believe we have found the first and possibly only  _male_ high dragon."

 

————-

 

It was too blighted hot in the forest. His feet ached. He smelled like dirt, not to mention he was covered from head to toe in it. 

 

Dorian tied his messy hair into a ponytail for what felt like the hundredth time that day. It bothered him immensely how oily it was. As soon as they were back in civilization, he was spending his coins on fine soaps and bathing for two days straight. 

 

"Two weeks," he said, mainly to whoever was nearby. "We have been traveling for two weeks! Two weeks without a proper bath!"

 

Krem snorted in front of him while Iron Bull looked back with a smirk. 

 

"You Vints all smell the same to me, Hothead," he called back. 

 

He  _hated_ that nickname. It was incredibly idiotic and not at all clever.

 

Before he could tell Bull off  _again,_ the qunari turned to Professor Frederic, who was leading a horse with their equipment down a narrow path. The professor was staring at a neatly folded map before pointing ahead. 

 

"Ah! We are close!" the professor called out, his students murmuring excitedly beside him. "There should be a clearing up ahead that will give us plenty of distance between us and the elven ruins where our high dragon has claimed as his home."

 

Dorian groaned loudly as he began picking up speed. Finally! He would set up his tent and rest for as long as he could. Since he wasn't truly a Bull's Charger, he didn't have to take orders from tha-

 

_BAM!_

 

The sudden impact of two bodies stunned the mage from his thoughts. Dorian groaned softly as he rubbed his head. The altus raised his eyes to find Dalish simply standing in the middle of the path, frozen. 

 

"Are you stuck, Dalish, or did you freeze yourself with your 'bow?'" he asked sarcastically. 

 

No answer. 

 

With a raised brow, Dorian walked to her front to see the elven woman staring stunned at nothing before her. Dorian tried gaining her attention by waving a hand in front of her face and whistling. 

 

"Hello? Dalish? Can you hear me, my dear?"

 

A soft murmur was her only response. 

 

"Come again?"

 

"Can't you  _feel_ it?" she asked, voice barely a whisper in the soft, cool wind. 

 

"Feel what?"

 

Dalish stepped forward, her staff-... _bow_ seemingly being the only thing keeping her balanced. 

 

"The air. Themagic in the air," she asked, her eyebrows raised high on her face as she looked around. "It's so  _ancient._ So  _powerful._ "

 

"Thought you weren't a mage and therefore can't properly sense magic?" Dorian teased, expecting her to agree with him. 

 

She did not. 

 

Dorian then took the time to stand still and try to feel what she was talking about. There was a soft hum of magic in the air. Magic that did in fact feel old, but it felt dull to him. There was no telling how powerful it was, but considering he couldn't properly feel it, it must not have been very powerful. 

 

"I think you carrying on about not being an apostate has you confusing powerful magic with regular magic," Dorian said as he began leading her after the others. "The powerful magic is probably mine. You never did properly pay attention to it. I am quite amazing."

 

Dalish's lips curled into a small smile, but Dorian recognized a fake smile when he saw one. Still, he counted that as a victory. 

 

"Come on, then," he said as he led her after their group. "I bet they're lost without their two best mages."

 

"I'm not a mage!"

 

———

 

_Dorian stood in a forest, the sunlight beaming down beautifully through the trees. Birds were chirping and he saw a small herd of halla (at least that’s what he thought they were called. Those were the strange, white Dalish deer creatures, right?) eating at the grass not far from him._

 

_"Well this is a rather strange dream, isn't it?" he hummed to himself as he began exploring the Fade. "I don't normally dream about forests. Disgusting places full of animal excrement and lecherous bugs."_

 

_The mage stretched his arms above his head and hummed before he shook his hands out in front of him._

 

_"Alright, I'll just retake control and dream of a wondrous bath house with a handsome young man feeding me grapes."_

 

_Dorian's hands began glowing a light green as he began to focus on his dreams. He closed his eyes, smiling as he just imagined the perfect dream. At least here he had some sort of normalcy and control._

 

_Hazel eyes slowly opened before widening almost instantly in shock. Nothing had changed. He was still in a blighted forest._

 

_"Oh now this is just ridiculous," he said as he began roaming the forest, trying to find the cause of his misfortune. "If there is a demon here, come on out and let's get this over with. You try offering me something in exchange for possession, I say no, we possibly fight, that sort of thing."_

 

_No answer. The forest was silent, save for the sounds of chirping birds and running water nearby._

 

_"What in Andraste's name is going on here?" he asked quietly to himself, hesitant to go much further._

 

_" **Ah, it seems I have a visitor** ," a deep voice called out. _

 

_Dorian turned around, fire appearing in his hands as he looked for the source._

 

_"Show yourself, demon!"_

 

_There was a deep chuckle that made Dorian nervous, a cold shiver running down his spine as he felt goosebumps form over his arms._

 

_" **A demon? I do not believe I have been called that before. Not to my face, at least.** "_

 

_Dorian took several steps back, eyes darting around quickly as he made note to be careful._

 

_"Who_ are  _you?"_

 

_" **Since you are a guest in my home, I suppose**_ **you _should introduce yourself to_ me  _first. It is the most polite thing to do after all._ "**

 

_"Will you tell me your name if I present you with mine? A name for a name?"_

 

_There was a deep hum, as though the owner of the voice had to seriously consider their answer._

 

**_"I suppose I could. That would be the polite thing to do, after all. Yes, I will tell you what I am called if you inform me of your name."_ **

 

_Wouldn't a demon already know his name? Was this all an act? The voice did sound genuine. Was this a dreamer, wandering around in their dreams looking for other mages? If so, that could be dangerous. Dorian decided he would stay, as he would be involved regardless._

 

_"My name is Dorian Pavus."_

 

**_"Ah, then welcome to our home, Dorian Pavus. The People call us Var Sael Isenatha."_ **

 

_Dorian began to walk around the forest area, the halla galloping off into the distance. Besides the Fade-conjured animals, he seemed to be alone in this part of the Fade. Whose part was it? Did it belong to the voice? Was the voice a powerful spirit?_

 

_"Are you a spirit?" the altus asked, glancing around the scenery._

 

_There was another long pause and for a moment Dorian actually thought the voice had left._

 

**_"Yes."_ **

 

_Dorian expected (or rather hoped) for a clearer answer than that, but it seemed the spirit would not provide him with one._

 

_"I have never heard of a spirit by your name before."_

 

_Another chuckle crackled through the air. Instead of being unnerved by it as he was before, Dorian found it oddly soothing. It comforted him, in a way._

 

_"What is so funny?"_

 

**_"Ah, dear Dorian, the name I gave you is not the type of spirit I am. In my current form, I gave you the name that was given to us by the People."_ **

 

_"I don't understand," Dorian said, becoming frustrated as he continued his search, though he knew it was futile. If this spirit owned this part of the Fade, it could keep itself hidden forever. "Who are the People? You are avoiding direct answers."_

 

**_"Isn't that what you expect? I_ ** **am _a spirit after all."_**

 

_Dorian groaned loudly as he stopped, leaning up against a nearby boulder. He was going nowhere with this creature. Perhaps this was all part of a game to get him to lower his guard. Let himself become vulnerable to possession._

 

_"If you are just going to keep playing games with me, then I shall no longer participate. I will not fall for your tricks, spirit."_

 

**_"Ah, my apologies. It seems I have upset you. Forgive me. I have been waiting for you in this forest for quite some time. Now that you are here, it seems I no longer know how to proceed with you. Our connection has weakened immeasurably over the years."_ **

 

_That seemed to recapture Dorian's attention._

 

_"Wait. You knew I would be coming here?"_

 

_There was another long pause that had Dorian glancing around his surroundings again. The halla had returned, grazing ever closer to the mage. They no longer seemed bothered by the human's presence, though it could have meant much more or nothing at all. Were they really a part of Dorian’s dream? Or was the spirit controlling them? None of this was making any sense!_

 

_A sudden thought came to the mage's mind._

 

_"Are you a spirit of Wisdom?"_

 

**_"In a way, yes. If that thought comforts you, it is not a bad one. Although, it is neither right nor is it wrong."_ **

 

_An exasperated sigh was Dorian's response as he rubbed his temples. It indeed sounded as though it were a spirit of Wisdom. All cryptic with no clear answers._

 

_"You said you have been waiting for me," Dorian said, looking up at the sky. "Could you tell me what for?"_

 

**_"Alas, I cannot. There are some things that you will just have to trust me on."_ **

 

_The mage stood up instantly, narrowing his eyes as he looked around aimlessly._

 

_"Trust you?!" he barked, raising his hands up in anger. "You have given me no reason to place my trust in you! You expect me to trust a voice without a face? A spirit that hides itself behind elegant words does not deserve such trust! May I remind you of the possibility of this all being a farce and you are just patiently waiting for me to lower my guard so that you can possess me!"_

 

_It came as no surprise when the spirit offered no answer but silence. It seemed to be the spirit's favored response. However, the silence lasted far longer than of those before. For a moment, it seemed as though the spirit had really left Dorian alone._

 

_Then, there was a crunch of leaves. Dorian turned around to see a figure of white light. A spirit appeared, with a form seemed almost human. If Dorian had to guess, the spirit was trying to resemble a man, if he had to go by the spirit’s figure. The spirit's outline contained long, glowing hair that flowed gently down its back. Although there was no face to see from the blinding light, the corporeal form gave some sort of comfort to him. His heart immediately was flooded with a liquid warmth and had become much lighter just from gazing at the spirit. Surely no demon could make him feel so safe and secure…right?_

 

**_"Forgive me,"_ ** _the spirit said as it lifted a hand, motioning towards Dorian. **"I have known of you for centuries and almost forget that you are only just meeting this form of our body. I do not mean you harm. We would never harm you. You are most precious to us."**_

 

_There was a look of pure confusion on Dorian's face as he stared at the spirit._

 

_"Who is we? I don't understand. Why can't you just tell me what you speak of, spirit?"_

 

_There was a soft sigh, something so human that Dorian thought he was perhaps speaking to an actual person and not a being of the Fade._

 

**_"Because, sometimes, it is best to not speak of things one knows. It is safest this way. Your path must continue on without any more interference. I have already said too much, even though you will think I have said nothing at all. Knowledge can be used for good, but in this instance, it will only prevent you from moving forward. Everything will be revealed in time. You are on the right path. Do not fret. We will keep you safe, Dorian. You are essential to us. To the world. The world cannot begin to comprehend your importance."_ **

 

_Dorian scoffed as he waved a hand dramatically in front of him._

 

_"Well, I could have told you_ that _," he said, eliciting a chuckle from spirit. "You still haven't told me who the other person of this 'we' is. Or do you just enjoy using plural nouns to express who you are? If that’s the case, let me know."_

 

**_"You will see soon enough. Just by your appearance in this forest, the gears of Fate are turning. It has begun."_ **

 

_A deep rumble seemed to shake the very Fade, throwing Dorian off balance. He fell to ground, though he was immediately helped up by the spirit before him._

 

_"What in Andraste's name was that?"_

 

_The spirit looked off into the forest, where the trees were thicker and the light could not shine through._

 

**_"It seems the beast is awakening from his slumber. He has grown a bit lazy over the last few centuries"_ **

 

_There was no time for Dorian to design a response to such a strange sentence. Another rumble shook him and without the spirit's guidance, he would have fallen once more._

 

_The earth shook beneath him violently as something moved through the forest. The trees moved slightly as a creature pushed them to the side, trying to make through the clutter forcefully. A large huff could be heard before being accompanied by a deep, low growl._

 

_Dorian tried peering into the woods to get a glimpse of the creature. The lack of light was a hindrance, but Dorian finally managed to spot a piece of the creature that had the color draining from his face._

 

_A pair of glowing, sapphire eyes seemed to stare right back into his very soul and burned a place there that no amount of magic could dig out._

 

_—————_

 

Dorian's eyes opened instantly. He sat up slowly and looked around, finding himself back in his tent. There was a faint blue light outside that signified that dawn was arriving. 

 

"Maker's breath," he said as he rubbed his hands over his face. He never woke up this early. His body was still shaking from the dream so he knew that going back to sleep would surely be out of the question. 

 

"Might as well get up then. Perhaps do some exploring on my own. Or maybe the Maker’ll smile upon me and present me with a hot spring."

 

The altus brushed out his long hair and tied it up into nice and neat bun before exiting his tent. He was startled to see Dalish and Skinner awake, sitting around a small fire. 

 

Skinner looked up, ripping at a piece of bacon between her teeth. The animal. 

 

"Look who's up bright'n early," she said as she smirked at him. "Surprised shems like you even know what dawn looks like."

 

Dorian scoffed as he moved over to sit across from the two elves. 

 

"Yeah, yeah, make fun of the pampered Tevinter," he said as he reached over to the frying pan, snatching a piece of bacon. 

 

"Wha' has you joinin' us?" Skinner continued. "You usually try an' sleep till the sun's ‘igher up."

 

"A nice yet strange spirit decided to bother me in my dreams," the mage said before munching on his bacon. "And no, Skinner, it wasn't a demon. It said it was-"

 

"Var Sael Isenatha," Dalish interrupted, staring emotionless at Dorian's face. 

 

Her outburst stunned Dorian, causing him to drop his piece of bacon. He blinked carefully as Skinner looked to Dalish then towards Dorian before she looked to the ground. 

 

"I-I don't...how could you possibly..."

 

"It visited both of us," Dalish said as she gripped tightly to her staff, her body trembling. "It...It told me things. Things I...I can't possibly believe. Wonderful, glorious things about our people, but most importantly, things about  _you._ "

 

This didn't make Dorian feel any better. None of this was making any sense. What in Andraste's name was going on here? How powerful was this spirit? Should they be afraid if it? Respect it? Was this a creature that had formed some sort of obsession with him?

 

"And what, pray tell, did it tell you about me, my dear Dalish?" he asked in that superior, mocking tone if his. "How wonderful I am? Or how I am the most handsome creature in all of Thedas? Perhaps how I'm a wonderfully talented mage as well?"

 

The ranting seemed to get a chuckle out of Skinner, but Dalish was still surprisingly somber. This place was affecting them. It wasn't natural. Dalish was usually more alive than this.

 

"Well? What exactly did this wise spirit tell you about me?" 

 

He was growing impatient and angry. Did this spirit have some sort of plan for him? A plan that would involve possessing his body? Perhaps it was more clever than he thought. Perhaps it had even charmed Dalish into assisting it. 

 

"It spoke of how important you are to the Var Sael Isenatha," Dalish replied, her voice hoarse before she sipped at her cup of tea. 

 

"Could you  _please_ tell me what that means?" Dorian huffed out, his neatly trimmed eyebrows furrowed. "I have no blighted clue what a Var Sall Ise-whatever is! Could you enlighten me of this spirit's importance? Or maybe start off with what its blighted name actually means?"

 

Dalish stared deeply into the fire as Skinner scraped at the pan. This forest was driving him mad and they had only been in it for a day! Perhaps it was the strange, ancient magic that Dalish claimed surrounded the area. Was it having this sort of influence on everyone? Was everyone going to be acting in this manner for the rest of their trip?

 

"You'll see soon enough," was all the response Dalish gave to him. 

 

With that, the topic was dropped and no one said another word, choosing to simply eat their breakfast in silence. 

 

———-——

 

As the sun began to rise on the horizon, Professor Frederic and his students were up and busy gathering their needed equipment. It was interesting to watch these students squirm around, praying to Andraste that they not forget anything important. 

 

Every one of Frederic's students were buzzing with happiness. They talked quietly amongst themselves, trying to come up with theories for the supposed only male high dragon in existence. Dorian still wasn’t even sure that the journals had been accurate. Perhaps the forest’s magic confused the authors. 

 

The magic that was soaked into this place was indeed strange. Dorian could properly feel the magnitude of its strength now and it frightened him how strong it was. Why was he only just now sensing its danger? Perhaps it was from being exposed to it for so long?

 

“...Dorian!”

 

A voice brought him from his thoughts. The mage looked up to see Krem staring at him with a raised brow. 

 

“I’m sorry, could you repeat that for me, Krem?”

 

Krem chuckled as he jabbed a thumb to the right. When Dorian looked, the others of their group had started the journey into the woods with the scholars. 

 

“We’re headin’ out,” Krem said, amusement dancing in his voice. “Was only wonderin’ if you’d like to join us. Chief thought I should come get you.”

 

This place was taking its toll on Dorian. Normally he was much more focused. The sooner they left this place, the better he would feel. 

 

“Ah, yes, my apologies,” he said as he followed Krem after their comrades. “It seems I’m a bit distracted.”

 

“Can’t afford that with a dragon so close by,” Krem said with a hum, patting his friend’s shoulder. “Though, with Chief, he’ll joke about us worshippin’ the damn thing or some other nonsense. Guess it’s a good thing we’re so far back, eh?”

 

That got a chuckle out of Dorian, which seemed to be the man’s goal judging by the smile on his face. 

 

“What’s botherin’ ya?” Krem asked softly. There was no change in his facial expressions, but Dorian was certain there was a bit of concern underlining Krem’s voice.  

 

Krem really was a blessing of a man. Despite their class differences, it helped that the other man had been from Tevinter as well. They became close friends soon after he unofficially ‘joined’ Bull’s Chargers. 

 

“This place,” Dorian answered quietly as they walked, watching his comrades up front joke around with the scholars. “The magic here. It’s ancient. It’s powerful, but the worst part is the impact it has on those around it. By those I mean myself and Dalish. At least so far.”

 

“Is it a demon’s work?”

 

Shaking his head, Dorian turned back to look at Krem. 

 

“I do not believe it is a demon,” he said quietly. “But I fear it is a powerful spirit that seems to have taken a liking to me.”

 

Dorian wasn’t surprised by Krem’s snicker, watching as his fellow Tevinter attempted to cover it with his mouth. 

 

“What? You’re saying this spirit has a crush on you?” the warrior asked, humor evident in his voice. 

 

As ridiculous as it sounded out loud, Dorian could not shake the feeling that this was an accurate depiction of the spirit. Still. Spirits didn’t have emotions. They  _embodied_ them. Talking to this particular spirit in the Fade felt as if he were talking to a real person.

 

“Look, we’ll make sure to keep an eye out on you two,” Krem said with a squeeze of Dorian’s shoulders. “You know how Chief is with spirits and junk. Not a big fan. We’ll make sure you won’t get possessed or nothin’.”

 

Dorian smiled and hoped that that bit of comfort could ease the knot forming in his stomach. 

 

——————

 

“Marvelous. Simply marvelous!”

 

The group had started to reach the elven ruins that were supposed to harbor the male high dragon. There were broken statues everywhere, though they were full enough for Dalish to tell them what gods they represented. 

 

Professor Frederic was staring at a particularly large statue in the middle of a bricked path. One assumed the path was towards the main ruins, considering it was the only path around. 

 

The statue itself was of a large dragon, one that resembled the pictures drawn in the journals. It was large and it was clearly important. Perhaps the Dalish worshiped this dragon? Or maybe it had even done something heroic or worthy enough to be immortalized in stone?

 

The students gathered around the statue’s stand, murmuring quietly to one another. Dorian stared up at the dragon, its wings expanded and mouth open as if it could roar at any second. 

 

“Serah Dalish, could we borrow you for a moment?” Etienne called out, notebook and quill in hand. “The writing here is in elvehn.”

 

Dorian turned and saw that Dalish had also been looking at the statue in wonder before she was summoned. The elf began reading quietly to herself, her eyebrows furrowing. 

 

“What does it say, my dear?” Dorian asked softly, his body tense as he waited. 

 

Something here was wonderful and powerful. It was ancient. The magic flowed strongly through the ruins and he could feel they were stronger deeper inside. 

 

“It’s in ol’ ancient elvehn,” Dalish said as she used her pointer figure to keep track of her sentences. “What I can manage to read tells us we are in the right area and that...that...”

 

Dalish paused, her eyes narrowing as she stared down at the writing. "This is it. This is  _it._ This is the Var Sael Isenatha. The First Dragon." 


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the wait! It took me forever to be at least somewhat happy with this chapter. It took me forever to write it and I hope it is a good one. I hope it's not too rushed or anything. I have rewritten it several times and am only somewhat happy with it. Enjoy!

It was if the name itself there was an incantation, for not even a minute later the earth began to shake slightly. Dorian looked towards the ruins, as did the others, as the source of the thumps came from there. Birds that had gathered around the ruins in peace suddenly began chirping loudly and flew off quickly as they sensed the danger that was coming.

 

What came out first was a bit disappointing, but it was still feared. Several dragonlings came out, all a variety of colors. They all shrieked and chirped as they looked to the invaders of their home. They hissed and began stepping towards them in anger, ready to fight when the real threat came out of the ruins.

 

It was the largest thing Dorian had ever seen in his life. _Sweet Andraste, what have I agreed to?_

 

The being looked just as it did in the journals. It was large, with wings stretching out as it ventured into the sun. They practically glistened in the sunlight. The beast moved its head towards the dragonlings, shuffling them back behind him with a gruff. The smaller creatures chirped in annoyance and defiance until Var Sael Isenatha gruffed louder, a deep growl emitting from its powerful throat. The chirping slowed to a stop.

 

 

Sapphire eyes with gold surrounding the pupils looked back over to the group. It lifted its head and observed the group invading his territory. He huffed, smoked coming out of his nostrils. Was he preparing to attack them? No. No, the professor said it would determine if they were worthy. Surely if they were not, he would not have revealed himself. Or would he? Would this creature come to defend his territory? High dragons were said to be extremely territorial.

 

Dalish, the crazy blighted elf, was the first to move. Everyone else seemed to be completely frozen where they stood. Except Bull, who was practically bouncing and smiling like a blighted idiot. How did he find this enjoyable?!

 

The high dragon watched Dalish carefully, eyes staring down at her intently. The elf reached a hand out and she waited before she stepped forward slightly. Var Sael Isenatha stepped towards her carefully and, surprisingly, leaned down his head. He touched his enormous head to her hand and she gasped. His eyes closed and she just stood there. Skinner was antsy, nervously bouncing before she came running towards Dalish.

 

The beast opened his eyes and pulled away from Dalish, finally looking to Skinner. The elven woman gasped and dropped the weapons she had unsheathed. The high dragon made a gurgling sound, chittering quietly.

 

Dorian glanced over to see that Crem had one hand behind him on his weapon, ready to draw it should he need to. The mage looked back to see Skinner was now touching the beast’s large head, her eyes as wide as dinnerplates.

 

The Tevinter mage finally noticed that no one had said a word the entire time the beast had been there. The professor and is students were silently staring at the creature and the dragonlings in awe.

 

“Dorian.”

 

Dorian turned his head and startled as the high dragon was now in front of him. How in the Blight did it get in front of him so fast without him knowing? Was he so deep in thought? The mage looked to see Dalish looking at him and she nodded her head to him. She was telling him that it would be alright and he didn’t know if he should really trust her on this one. This was a blighted dragon, for Andraste’s sake. How would they know how it would act?  
  


**_“Worthy.”_ **

 

What in the world…? Dorian’s hazel eyes widened slightly as they stared into the high dragon’s. It was just like in the drawing. He was drawn to them and he couldn’t stop but stare deep into them. It wasn’t like looking into a mabari’s eyes and seeing the intelligence. This was a completely different level of intelligence in the eyes of this beast. It was like he was looking into the eyes of a human being.

 

There was a slight difference between this dragon and the one in the pictures. Over his left eye there was three slanted claw marks over it as though he had gotten into a fight. Perhaps another dragon came into his territory, for he could not think of a lower creature getting a good swipe at him like this.

 

**_“You are worthy to be here, to see me,”_** the voice said again, deep and soothing. **_“You. I have waited thousands of years for you. You are more than worthy to be here.”_**

****

He…had no idea how to take that information. It was just like what the spirit of Wisdom had said. Had this creature really been waiting all this time for him? How could it even know that he would be here? Maybe he meant someone _like_ him. What did this even mean? What _could_ it mean?

 

The high dragon nudged Dorian gently, huffing. The mage waved his hand in front of his face and made a sour face.

 

“My dear dragon, your breath smells akin to death.”  
  


There was a deep rumbling sound that Dorian could swear was a chuckle. Maybe he was imagining things. Personifying this animal to ease himself.

 

“Fascinating.”

  
Professor Frederic was suddenly next to Dorian, practically bouncing with excitement. Reminded him of a certain qunari leader.

 

Var Sael Isenatha watched the small human observe his head, not even flinching when the man touched his scars.

 

“I wonder what creature got to you, my dear dragon,” Frederic said softly, nodding his head. “Must have been a female trying to mate with you. If only you could speak and tell me your stories!”

 

Wait. Could Frederic not hear the dragon speak? Dorian looked to the dragon as if expecting an answer and saw Var Sael Isenatha was looking back at him.

 

**_“Only those with magic in their veins and elven blood in their hearts can hear my voice. Such is the way of things.”_ **

 

This…was one of the weirdest days of Dorian’s life. And it would only get weirder.

 

 -----------

 

_The halla gathered around Dorian and nudged at him, one nibbling at his cloak. He was there again. The place where he met the spirit of Wisdom._

_“Are you here, spirit?” he called out._

**_“I am,”_ ** _came the almost immediate reply._

_Dorian sighed as he sat down on a log, looking out to see the corporeal form of the spirit walking over to him. The spirit’s essence was so comforting. The spirit sat down beside Dorian and the mage sighed softly, running a hand through his hair._

_“I met you today. Don’t suppose you remember talking to me.”_

**_“Ah, you mean Var Sael Isenatha. Yes, I do recall you meeting him.”_ **

****

_Dorian blinked as he looked to the spirit, shielding his eyes slightly from the blinding light._

_“I thought you said_ you _were Var Sael Isenatha?”_

_The spirit chuckled as it reached a hand back and seemed to stroke the back of its head. It was so human, it was almost like he were talking to another person. He had to remember that he was talking to a spirit._

**_“I seem to forget myself sometimes. I have been here for centuries studying the beast that I almost confuse myself for it sometimes. It is a common mistake.”_ **

_How in the world was that a common mistake? Was this kind of thing normal for spirits? He had no idea how this spirit thought. It was hard to get a read on it._

**_“You have questions, Dorian. Go ahead and ask them. I will do my best to answer them.”_ **

****

_“You mean you’ll pick and choose which questions to answer and which one to just ignore and ghost over.”_

_A hum was his response and that was really all he needed. This spirit was keeping secrets. It_ was _a spirit. It really didn’t need a reason to hide something from him. It didn’t exactly owe him anything._

_“Do you know if Var Sael Isenatha has been waiting for me or for someone like me?”_

_It was a question that had been plaguing him all day long. The creature said it had been waiting for him._

**_“He has been waiting for_ ** **you. _You are very important to the creature. You will see that soon enough.”_**

****

_“Do you know the reason why?”_

**_“Yes.”_ **

****

_“Will you tell me?”_

**_“No.”_ **

****

_Dorian sighed softly. He had been hoping for too much, he supposed. This spirit mentioned knowing things about him and the creature and he wanted to know what fate had in store for them. How much of this could he really trust of the spirit anyway? Could he really trust it? For some odd reason, he felt he could trust this spirit with his life._

_“Why don’t you tell me some things about the Var Sae blah blah blah. There’s gotta be a shorter name for it. This is ridiculous.”_

_The spirit chuckled and seemed to agree with him._

**_“How about we call him Sael for now for simplicity’s sake?”_ **

****

_The mage seemed to be in agreement and nodded his head._

_“Now, you were going to tell me some riveting tales of this beast?”_

_The spirit was quiet for a moment before it smacked a fist into a hand._

**_“Ah, you noticed all the little dragonlings that followed the creature, yes? Like a duckling follows a mother. Well, none of the dragonlings are the beast’s children. The beast has never mated in all of the years I have known him.”_ **

****

_Dorian couldn’t help but snicker as he shook his head. So the beast was a virgin? That was entertaining._

_“Why has it not mated? Has he not found a suitable lady dragon? Or possibly a drake that would please it?”_

_The spirit chuckled softly as it shook its head._

**_“I actually do not know the answer to that question. I do not know if it is a matter of not finding a suitable mate or if it just doesn’t desire the will to mate. All I know is that female high dragons seem to…flock to him. I theorize they seem to know of his rarity and strength and want their young to be raised by such a creature. The ones that grow up here, I have seen them grow up strong and dutiful to the beast. They listen to him intently.”_ **

****

_“What of that scar on his face? I didn’t see that in the journals we have of him.”_

**_“Ah. That. A female high dragon did that a few years ago. She became enraged at him. Possibly due to the fact that he refused to mate with her or just because she wanted to be the dominant dragon. I do not know. I can only make observations. Those are the top two explanations I can think of.”_ **

****

_Silence bloomed amongst the two as Dorian tried to think of what to really ask of the creature. If the professor were here, he would know what to ask. Dorian just couldn’t really think of anything in particular he wanted to ask of the dragon. He feel like he should, but maybe he couldn’t think at the particular moment._

**_“There is something very important I feel you must know, Dorian. About the beast and this place.”_ **

****

_Dorian looked over to the spirit expectantly. The spirit’s voice went from playful to suddenly quite serious so it must have been something it deemed important to know._

**_“This place is very sacred to the Dalish. Those that know not of it worship it when it comes to light what it means to their people. That being said, the dragon is a sort of…well, let’s just say guardian of this place. Therefore, it would be wise to inform you and your friends to not steal from this place. It would not be wise. I do not believe any of your friends would do something so horrendous since the creature has deemed you all worthy to be here, but it is a friendly warning. Something from a friend.”_ **

****

_Friends with a  spirit? It sounded preposterous, but it also made a warmth spring into Dorian’s chest. He felt so close to this spirit, as though he had known him all of his life. Was it the nature of this spirit? Maybe he felt a kindred spirit to him because it represented Wisdom and Dorian respected Wisdom._

_The ground began to shake and Dorian steadied himself. It seemed he would be waking soon._

**_“It seems our time is up for the night,”_ ** _Wisdom said softly, placing its hands in its lap. **“Such a shame. Now that I’ve met you, I’ve found that I enjoy our time together.”**_

****

_Dorian wasn’t going to admit it out loud, but he was enjoying this time as well._

**_“See you later, Dorian. Take heed in what I said about Sael. Do not let anyone steal from him. He’s a very vengeful creature.”_ **

 

**_\-----------_ **

 

It had been a few days since they met Var Sael Isenatha. The professor and his students seemed to be enjoying themselves, learning what they could about the creature without exactly hearing from it. Dorian found it odd that the dragon wasn’t speaking to the elven student. He figured if he was, she would have been ecstatic and mentioning it to the professor to gain favor. Perhaps there was a reason why the beast wasn’t speaking to her.

 

Dorian was leaned up against a tree with Crem by his side.

 

“Poor Chief,” Crem said with a small smirk. “Probably thought the dragon would be attacking us and what not by now. I bet he was looking for a fight.”

 

“It’s a shame the beast seems a bit more civilized than our fearless leader, does it not?” Dorian mocked back with a chuckle. “I truly did not think this dragon would be so…well mannered.”

 

Crem hummed back in reply, nodding his head slowly in agreement. The dragon in question was not in their sight, save for a few curious dragonlings. They were mostly behaved and any threat of them misbehaving created a deep growl/roar from Sael.

 

All seemed quiet…..until a loud, angry roar came from the ruins. This startled Crem and Dorian up, Dorian immediately grabbing his staff. Another angry roar erupted from the ruins and the students looked nervously to their professor.

 

“My dear Bull, I think your services are needed!” Dorian called out as all of the sudden a very angry high dragon came barreling out of the ruins.

 

It roared loudly, stretching its wings and flapping them. The students panicked and began running, the professor hot on their trail. What had gotten into the creature so suddenly? Did someone…no. No, someone couldn’t have been stupid enough to steal from the creature, could it? A dragon’s hoard of treasures were sacred, even dragon experts should know this!

 

The beast slammed into a pillar, the pillar crumbling and falling to the ground. The beast reared its head back and roared again. The dragonlings, which were just idly sitting by, fed off that anger and became enraged themselves. They chirped and hissed angrily as they snapped at any person near them.

 

“We need to get them out of here and fast,” Iron Bull said as he stepped up, pulling his axe out from behind him. “Get them out of here. Something has upset this big boy and now we finally get some action, but our main priority is protecting the students and Frederic.”

 

Crem nodded his head as he pulled out his weapon and charged at a dragonling that lunged at one of Frederic’s students. Dorian didn’t understand what was happening so fast. Maybe he could talk to the creature, figure out what happened.

 

Dorian ran over to the dragon, waving his hands in front of him to gain his attention.

 

“Hey! Hey, Sael, over here!” he yelled out as loudly as he could until the beast looked down at him. “What’s wrong? Come on, big guy, talk to me!”  
  


“ ** _STOLEN. IT HAS BEEN STOLEN!”_**

****

“What’s been stolen, big guy?” he asked.

 

Without an answer, the beast roared again and slammed his tail into a pillar, knocking it down.

 

**_“TRUSTED YOU. YOU HAVE BETRAYED ME. YOU, WHO I HAVE WAITED FOR FOR THOUSANDS OF YEARS, HAVE BETRAYED ME!”_ **

****

Dorian felt his heart break slightly at the words and the anger in the voice. Before he could try and question the beast further, the dragon reared his head back. Dorian’s eyes widened as he held up his staff and casted a ward just in time for fire to shoot at him from the beast’s mouth. Dorian looked back to see that Bull and his crew were getting the students and professor to safety and he was doing a marvelous job as a distraction.

 

When the dragon stopped breathing fire at him, Dorian casted a simple ice spell at it, which hit it square in the face. This seemed to anger the beast and it charged after Dorian. Dorian panicked and began running for the ruins, finding it might be easier to lose the beast in a confined space.

 

The dragon followed behind him roughly, squeezing through the nooks and crannies to try and reach Dorian. The mage hide behind a pillar, breathing heavily as he heard Sael follow after him. The mage breathed heavily, covering his mouth to try and stifle the sounds. A deep, gurgling growl was next to his ear as the beast used a claw to grip a pillar. Sael sniffed the air and turned his head suddenly to Dorian. He reached out a claw and barely nudged Dorian before the mage jumped back.

 

“Vishante Kaffas!” he cursed loudly as he barely managed to dodge the beast’s claw.

  
The dragon roared angrily, the building shaking slightly as he did so. Dorian looked around and saw a room on the other side of the ruins. He took a shot and ran for it, the dragon following after him quickly.

 

**_“BETRAYED. YOU HAVE BETRAYED ME!”_ **

 

Dorian wanted to shout out that he hadn’t betrayed him, that he would never consider doing something so foolish. However, he wasn’t able to say much of anything as he ran into the room, the only light from a single crack in the ceiling. Dorian moved into the center of the room as Sael’s claws reached into the room, clawing desperately to reach Dorian.

 

Dorian was able to breathe a sigh of relief as the beast was unable to get him and was unable to fit into the room. Everything was quiet until the wall came crumbling down moments later as the dragon came tumbling into the room. The room began shaking and the dragon looked around as the room came crashing down around them. Dorian dodged what he could and tried to hide where the building was stable.

 

When the rumbling finally stopped, the entrance to the room was caved in by rubble and the dragon was pinned underneath it. Sael roared weakly as he tried getting out from underneath the rubble, but it was too heavy. Dorian maneuvered around the beast and tried to find the entrance, trying to see if there was a way he could squeeze out.

 

**_“Betrayed.”_ **

****

Dorian sighed as he looked to the beast, which was giving him the worst and scariest puppy dog look he had ever seen. It looked a thousand times worst on a being a thousand times his size that could crush him with a single swipe of his claws.

 

“I didn’t betray you, you silly dragon,” he said softly as he stepped towards him hesitantly. “If you only listened for a half a second, I would try to have found out what was taken and what we could do to get it back. No look what you got yourself into. Stuck underneath all this rubble with no way out.”

  
Sael whined lowly, looking closely at Dorian.

 

**_“Not betrayed?”_ **

 

Dorian nodded his head slowly as he offered a weak smile. “I didn’t betray you, big guy. Wouldn’t dream of it.”

 

The dragon huffed softly, a small cloud of smoke coming out from his nostrils.

 

The mage knew he would regret it, but he knew he needed to help the stupid dragon out. It wasn’t his fault entirely about all this. Someone amongst their group had stolen from him. Dorian sighed as he moved over to the beast and raised his hands, a light glow coming from them. Rubble began moving from the beast, who made what Dorian could only describe as a happy growl.

 

Dorian felt he would regret it, but he wanted to help Sael. He liked the dragon, despite his instincts screaming that this was probably the stupidest thing he had ever done. It didn’t take long before there was enough rubble off the dragon to have him move on his own. Sael came out from the rubble and shook his body of the rest of the rubble and rocks that gathered on it. Sael looked over to Dorian and stared at him with his dark eyes for a moment. Dorian felt his heart drop and thought that the dragon was going to attack him. However, without another word, the dragon spread his wings and took off towards the ceiling, breaking it easily.

 

Apparently a thank you was too hard for the beast to muster. With a sigh, Dorian looked to where the entrance was and began working on freeing himself.


	3. Chapter 3

“So let me get this straight,” Dorian said as he pressed two fingers against the bridge of his nose. “You _stole_ from this dragon and thought that it was a good idea?”

 

The group was staring at a young Orlesian man wearing a mask of green and red. The boy seemed to shift nervously as he held a large sphere in his hands. It had strange markings etched into it and was a dark blue.

 

“I-I thought it would be good to have to study for the group! I didn’t think the dragon would even notice it was gone, there was so much treasure in that room!” the boy exclaimed.

 

Professor Frederic was shaking his head in what Dorian assumed was disappointment. He couldn’t really tell with those blasted masks.

 

“Jacque, you _know_ that dragons are territorial, especially about their treasure!” the professor yelled, making the young man flinch. “We need to return this to the dragon’s lair so that it doesn’t try to hunt us down and take it back by force.”

 

“I’ll take it back,” Dorian found himself saying without a second thought. The dragon seemed to trust him. Perhaps it wouldn’t harm him if he tried to return the artifact.

 

“You’re not going alone, Hothead,” the Iron Bull said as he placed a hand on his shoulder. “I’ll go with ya.”

 --------------

 

“Are you sure we’re going the right way, Hothead?” Bull said as he pushed his way through a bush, following behind Dorian.

 

Dorian wasn’t really sure, but he could have sworn this was the way to where the temple was.

 

“Yes, Bull, I am sure this is the right way,” Dorian snapped back as he gripped tighter to the orb in his hands. It was such a large thing, it was almost awkward to hold it. “The dragon might be hiding the temple away from us. Deemed us unworthy this time because he thinks we stole from him.”

 

Bull huffed as he caught up to the Tevinter mage and walked beside him. They walked in silence for several more minutes before something caught Dorian’s eye.

 

Several feet away, beside a fallen and crumbled pillar, stood a man. From what Dorian could tell, it was an elven man. He had blonde hair that trailed down his back and cream colored skin that practically glistened in the sun. The elf was bare naked except for a navy robe and a thick bracelet on his arm. As Dorian got closer, he could tell the bracelet was blue and green in color and almost looked to be made of scales. Dragon scales?

 

“Are you lost, elf?” Bull finally cried out, making their presence known to the elf.

 

The elf looked up and smiled as he pulled the robe over his naked body, shivering slightly.

 

“You’re back,” the elf said softly, moving towards the two men. “And you brought it back.”

 

Dorian blinked and raised a perfectly made eyebrow.

 

“You know what this is?” he asked as he held up the orb.

 

“It was stolen from me,” the elf said with a huff and narrowed eyes. “And it is mine. You promised you did not betray me.”  
  
“I didn’t steal this, if that’s what you’re getting at, fellow,” Dorian said with a laugh. “A bright young student did. Thought it would be nice to study from the temple. What do you mean I promised you? I have never seen you before.”  
  


“Are you sure?” the elf said as he stared Dorian down.

 

Dorian opened his mouth to assure the elf that he indeed had not met the elf before when he froze. The elf was staring into his eyes and when Dorian looked back, his body went cold. The elf’s eyes were a sapphire blue and had gold rings around the eyes. The mage’s heart sank.

 

No. No, this was impossible.

 

“Sael?” he asked in a voice barely above a whisper.

 

The elf smiled widely and nodded his head.

 

“It said you would call me that,” the elf said. “Sael. I like that name. Much shorter than Var Sael Isenatha by a long shot.”  
  
“But…how did you…you were a dragon!” Dorian said as he dropped the orb and flinched when it landed on his foot.

 

The elf, Sael, picked up the orb, letting the robe fall to the ground. It stroked the orb like it was something precious that was finally returned to him.

 

“An old woman came up to me not long after I left you,” Sael said softly. “She said it was time to return to the world. The next thing I knew, I looked like this. I don’t even know how she got here. I didn’t deem her worthy enough to enter and see me, but I sensed powerful magic in her. She had very strange hair, like the horns of one of the female high dragons I’ve seen.”

 

Dorian had absolutely no idea who this elf was talking about.

 

“I’ve…I’ve never heard of magic turning a dragon into an elf,” he said as he looked to Bull.

 

Bull shrugged his shoulders as he shook his head.

 

“I’ve heard of mages transforming into animals. Not a lot, but a few,” Dorian said softly, mostly to himself. “But nothing like this.”

 

“I don’t know what to tell you,” Sael said with a laugh. “I’ve been a dragon for thousands of years and then she comes along and changes that. I kind of like this form. I can talk to more people like your friend here instead of mages and elves.”

 

Bull gently grabbed Dorian and pulled him off to the side while Sael inspected his orb.

 

“I don’t like this, Dorian,” Bull said softly. “But…we can’t just leave him here alone. I don’t think he can function in the world alone like this.”  
  
Dorian nodded his head slowly, still in shock about the whole thing. Perhaps it would be best to bring him along with them. Maybe they would see this mysterious woman again and ask her how she did what she did. Or maybe she knew more about Sael.

 

“Sael,” Dorian said as he moved back to the elf. “Why don’t we get this orb back to its original place and then you come with us? We can get you clothed and then…then we’ll decide what to do next.”

 

Sael nodded his head excitedly.

 

“I’ve always wanted to wear clothes, but obviously you humans don’t make them dragon size.”

\------------- 

 

“Wait, you’re telling me this elf here is that big ass dragon we just saw the other day?” Krem asked incredulously.

 

Dorian and Bull nodded their heads as they looked over to Sael, who was now dressed and surrounded by Professor Frederic and his students, all fawning over him.

 

Sael borrowed some of Dalish’s clothes, seeing as he was about her size. The elf was wearing a black shirt with a neckline going up half his neck, wrapped tight around it. Over it was a garment with only an arm going through the left arm, though there was no sleeve. There was a brown rope wrapped around his waist holding things together. On his right arm was a see through garment of turquoise color with a piece of garment going through the middle finger. The left arm still had the large bracelet of dragon’s scales that matched Sael’s dragon form’s. He said that the strange woman who changed him had given it to him as a gift.

 

 

“We don’t know how this happened either, but we can’t just leave him alone in the woods,” Bull said softly, crossing his arms over his chest. “We don’t know if he can change back or how dangerous he really is, so I suggested we keep an eye on him.”

 

Dalish touched Sael’s arm before walking over to the small gathered group. She stood before Bull and nodded her head.

 

“I know of a clan that might take him,” she said softly. “He’s very important to my people and they would surely take him. The last place I heard where they were is not too from the northern Free Marches. Clan Lavellan. It would take us a bit to get there, but I can’t imagine anyone better to take him. They’ll have enough mages to possibly control him if he gets out of hand.”

 

There were sudden ‘ooos’ as the group looked over to see Sael holding out his hand and a flame hovering above it.

 

“Aaaand to apparently teach him how to control his magic,” Dalish continued. “I’ve never heard of a dragon becoming a person before. I think maybe he was an ancient and powerful elf back from Elvhenan, in the ancient times of our people considering his age. His very valuable to our people, Chief. We need to protect him. He doesn’t seem to remember being an elf, but if we can jog his memory, think of what he could do for my people!”

 

Dorian looked over to Sael, who was waving his hands around as he talked, laughing with the students and professor. He seemed so much more…outgoing than what he thought. As a dragon, he seemed to be wise and older, but as an elf he seemed like a young man.

 

“How old do you think he is, Dalish?” Dorian asked as he looked over to his elven companion.

 

“Probably early to mid 20’s,” she said softly as she looked back over to Sael as well. “By the way he acts, he seems so young. If that professor didn’t have so many journals dating back so far back, I wouldn’t believe he was so…ancient. There is so much that we can learn from him. Chief, I really can’t emphasize how important he is to my people. We need to keep him safe until we get him to clan Lavellan.”

 

“Don’t worry, Dalish, we’ll get him there safely,” Bull said softly. “You have my word. If you think he’s important to help your people, then he’s our new mission.”

 

“I don’t think clan Lavellan can really pay you for someone like him,” Dalish said with narrowed eyes. “They probably will fight for him.”  
  
“Who said anything about making anyone pay for him? I’m doing this for you, Dalish,” Bull said with a wide smile. “On the house.”

 

Dalish smiled as she nodded her head and went to go back to Sael, who welcomed her with a hug. Dorian blinked as he watched Dalish hug him back, speaking softly to him. He had never seen her act so…affectionately before. It was a strange sight.

 

“He seems so much more different than what I would think for an ancient elf,” Dorian said softly.

 

“Whatever happened to him happened to him while he was basically still a kid,” Bull said in return. “He probably acted a certain way as a dragon in order to survive. Now that he thinks he’s safe, he’s reverting back to how he was. It’s a strange sight alright, but I like it. Would rather a cutie like him with us than some old geezer that would whine and complain about practically everything.”

 

“He is cute, isn’t he?” Dorian said with a chuckle.

 

Bull chuckled as well as he nodded his head.

 

“Wouldn’t mind waking up to him in the morning,” Bull said before Dorian shoved him with a laugh.

\---------- 

 

_Dorian sat on a tree stump, finding this area to become a habit at this point._

_“Are you here, spirit?” Dorian called out, sighing softly._

_“ **You know I am,** ” the spirit said as its voice hovered around Dorian._

_Dorian was quiet, trying to come up with what questions he wanted to ask this spirit. It said it had been with Sael for years, so maybe it knew more about him._

_“Your dragon turned into an elf, did you know that?” Dorian finally asked._

_“ **Almost hard to miss,** ” the spirit replied with a chuckle. _

_Dorian smiled as he looked around, trying to see if the spirit was coming to him in a corporeal form again. There was nothing like that around him. Just the spirit’s voice._

_“One of my colleagues seems to think that he’s an ancient elf from Elvhenan,” Dorian said after a few minutes of silence. “Do you know this?”_  
  
The spirit was quiet for a few minutes and Dorian thought that it had left. 

_“ **I know nothing of this,** ” the spirit finally said, startling Dorian. It sounded as though the spirit were right next to his ear. “ **I merely observed Var Sael Isenatha as a dragon. I was travelling the Fade when I came upon him in the forest as a dragon. I found him interesting and have been observing him ever since.** ”_

_“Because you’re a spirit of Wisdom and wanted to learn of him?” Dorian offered curiously._

_The spirit merely hummed in agreement._

_Blast. Dorian had hoped that the spirit would know more about the dragon that would help Dalish, but he supposed that would make things too easy. Suddenly, a thought came to Dorian._

_“Did you see the woman who turned him into an elf?”_

_The spirit was once again quiet._

_“ **Yes.** ” _

_When the spirit didn’t continue, Dorian figured that was all he was going to get out of the spirit. Still. He wanted to try and get more information out of it._

_“Did she introduce herself to the elf?”_

_“ **No.** ” _

_“Do you know who she is?”_

_“ **Yes.** ”_

_“Are you going to tell me who she is?”_

_“ **No.** ” _

_Dorian groaned softly as he ran a hand through his hair. This spirit, he swore to the Maker._

_“ **I know that is not what you wanted to hear and I apologize, but I cannot tell you who she is. You will find out in time. Without my guidance.** ”_

_Dorian sighed as he looked around again, hoping the spirit would show itself, but still there was nothing but forest._

_“What kind of spirit are you?”_

_“ **What kind of spirit do you think I am, Dorian? Didn’t you think I was a spirit of Wisdom?** ”_

_Dorian agreed that this spirit was something like Wisdom, but something felt different about it. It talked about Fate and knowing of things so far ahead in the future. It was a strange spirit of Wisdom, that was for sure. He had never heard of anything like it before._

_“I’ve never heard of a spirit like you, so I wouldn’t really know where to begin,” Dorian finally said. “So all I can say is that you’re a spirit of Wisdom, but something…else.”_

_A chuckle was the spirit’s response._

_“ **Again. If that is your answer, it is not a bad one. Perhaps even I do not know what I am. I merely am.** ”_

_“Well isn’t that a batty response.”_

_A laugh this time was the spirit’s response. It was such a beautiful sound that Dorian wanted to hear it again and again._

_“ **Dorian.** ” _

_Dorian was brought back to his senses when the spirit called his name._

_“Hmm?”_

_“ **Make sure Sael gets to clan Lavellan safely. It is very important that he gets to the clan. Will you do this for me?** ” _

_“Yes. Of course. Would have done so without you asking.”_

_The spirit chuckled again and Dorian suddenly saw the spirit appear before him. The spirit leaned down and placed its face near Dorian’s. It then placed what Dorian thought were its lips onto Dorian’s._


End file.
